Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR) today announced an official partnership with the University of Manchester’s National Graphene Institute (NGI), joining a select list of industrial collaborators. This partnership follows NGI’s purchase of two additional atomic force microscopes (AFMs) from Bruker, a Dimension FastScan® and a Dimension Icon®. These systems join five other Bruker AFMs at the facility for research into the nanofabrication and nanoscale properties of graphene. As part of this partnership, Bruker will partially sponsor a Ph.D. student working on novel scanning probe microscopy (SPM) techniques to characterize graphene and 2D materials.

Graphene, the world’s thinnest, strongest and most conductive material, was first isolated and characterized at The University of Manchester by Sir Andre Geim and Sir Kostya Novoselov, who were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010 for their research. This transparent, one-atom thick flat sheet of carbon has the potential to revolutionize technology, from smartphones and ultrafast broadband to drug delivery and computer chips. AFMs have demonstrated spatial resolution of less than a nanometer, and enable scientists developing materials such as graphene to understand critical mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties at the atomic scale.

“Our Bruker AFMs are anticipated to provide important new insights into nanoscale variations of graphene conductivity and work function,” said Nobel Prize winner Professor Novoselov. “Coupled with simultaneous quantitative mapping of mechanical properties, enabled by Bruker’s exclusive PeakForce Tapping®, NGI researchers hope to uncover new information that will ultimately optimize the performance of graphene-based materials and devices.”

“We are pleased that the National Graphene Institute continues to rely on our proprietary technology for its new world-class research facility, bringing their total now to seven Bruker systems,” added Paul Scagnetti, Ph.D., President of Bruker’s Nano Surfaces Division. He continued: “We are also gratified to be a part of the UK-wide Centre for Doctoral Training, where our unique AFM technologies will enable the sponsored Ph.D. student to learn even more about the physical and electrical properties of 2D materials under Professor Novoselov.”

About the UK National Graphene Institute

The National Graphene Institute at The University of Manchester, UK, opened in March 2015, creating around 100 new jobs in a new, 7,800 square meter facility that will house state-of-the-art facilities, including two cleanrooms. The Institute will also feature a 1,500 square meter research lab for University of Manchester graphene scientists to collaborate with their colleagues from industry and other universities.

About Bruker Corporation

For more than 50 years, Bruker has enabled scientists to make breakthrough discoveries and develop new applications that improve the quality of human life. Bruker’s high-performance scientific research instruments and high-value analytical solutions enable scientists to explore life and materials at molecular, cellular and microscopic levels.

In close cooperation with our customers, Bruker is enabling innovation, productivity and customer success in life science molecular research, in applied and pharma applications, in microscopy, nano-analysis and industrial applications, as well as in cell biology, preclinical imaging, clinical research, microbiology and molecular diagnostics. For more information, please visit: http://www.bruker.com.